After reading "BIG CHANGES LEAD TO BIG SUCCESS" in the Sept. issue of DEER&DEER HUNTING, my hat goes off to John Phillips, Kentucky's then deer program manager. For the last 5 years or so I kept saying that Illinois, my primary hunting place, should go to a 1 buck limit and at least 2 does per hunter. If ill. would have implemented a 1 buck limit back then, we would begin experiencing what Kentucky has achieved with big mature trophy bucks. Yeah, I know there are some on this forum that think this is wrong and that any buck is a trophy, which I believe for each individual this is true. But, I can't believe any hunter, as he gets older doesn't care about nailing one of those big smart wall hangers. There is no reason why one hunter has to be able to shoot 2 bucks. With Kentucky's limits there are no antler restrictions, you take the buck of your choice and if you want more meat take a couple of does to help control the herd. A very simple solution. In recent years, with our liberal deer hunting limits, various diseases, growing predator problems and the ever increase of hunters, our state's deer herds in various parts are decreasing. In recent years I listen to hunters that hunt in various parts of Ill. and they say that the last few seasons deer sightings have been the worst they have ever had. Some of our states had better wake up and reevaluate their thinking.

I've said the same thing for WI, having grown up in MN with a one buck rule. Like you, I believe it to be a great alternative to point restrictions and other types of selective management ideas that are always egregious to hunters.

A one buck rule puts the decision making into the hunter's hands, it allows them to take the first buck they see if they want to without penalty if it doesn't fit some other metric that is hard to define in poor lighting, etc. situations that hunters always claim as reasons why the other restrictions are bad for hunting.

Ohio has always been a one antlered deer state, regardless of method taken. As was already stated, it puts the decision on what to shoot in the hands of the hunter rather than the State. I also can see that it would be a very volatile change in states that have allowed multiple buck limits in the past. I'd imagine that if Ohio went to a multiple buck State, there would be a huge howl coming from our hunters. Changes like that can be difficult to accept either way.